


This World Is Not Made For You

by 1719



Series: The Boy Who Ran [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Applying Physics where it does not need to be applied, Buckle up boys this is gonna be a long ride, Five is a badass, I'm just a nerd who wants to science tua, More Characters to appear later in the series, Pre-Series, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Spacial Jumps, Time Travel, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-14 18:24:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18481840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/1719/pseuds/1719
Summary: Five grew up with the notion that he was special.He also grew up with the notion that everything his father told him was bullshit.It just didn’t sink in until he was eleven.--Five was always a rebel. And after one training session in the basement, his world gets a whole lot bigger.





	This World Is Not Made For You

Five grew up with the notion that he was special.

 

He also grew up with the notion that everything his father told him was bullshit.

 

It just didn’t sink in until he was eleven.

 

“Number Five!” Reginald’s voice commanded his attention from the other side of the room, and Five’s head snapped up to look at him, sneer already in place.

 

“I’m _trying._ ” He growled, uselessly yanking his hands against the ropes constraining them.

 

Currently, he was tied to a metal chair bolted to the floor of the basement, a dim light flickering overhead. He didn’t have a way to accurately track time down here, but he estimated he’d been down here at least five hours, judging by the angry red rope burns on his wrists and the hollow feeling in his stomach.

 

“Focus Number Five!” Reginald’s voice broke through his thoughts again, and Five gave his bonds another yank, but they still wouldn’t give.

 

“You will not always have the luxury of free movement in a combat situation! You must always be able to spacial jump, no matter the circumstances!” His father barked in that drill sergeant voice of his, snapping his notebook closed. “I will be back in an hour, and if you have not escaped by then there will be dire consequences.”

 

“Looking forward to it.” Five spat at his father’s retreating figure, but the man didn’t turn, just closing the metal door firmly behind him.

 

“Shit.” Five sighed, glancing up at the ceiling.

 

Tearing through the space time continuum wasn’t exactly easy. Five could see it when he focused, the blue tendrils floating through the air, dancing around him. If he reached out he could touch the tendrils, grip the strands and _yank_ , ripping a hole in the fabric of their dimension, allowing him to slip through.

 

The only problem with that was to tear a hole, he needed to be able to make the tear. Otherwise, it just didn’t _work_. Using his hands was easier, but honestly he didn’t even really need them, he just needed bough momentum to break through the surface.

 

He tried rocking the chair back and forth again, squeezing his eyes shut in frustration when the chair refused to budge.

 

He was trapped. He was trapped, and when his father came back and discovered him still here there would be hell to pay, probably in the form of darkness and electricity.

 

Oh yeah. He had noticed the wires connecting to the chair, the switch over by the door.

 

But what could he do? He. Couldn’t. _Move_.

 

He couldn’t move. He was trapped he was trapped he was trapped he was trapped-

 

The sound of his ragged breathing filled the chamber, faster and faster and faster until he was hyperventilating, unable to even lean forward and double over, and darkness was beginning to fill his vision and he was trapped and he _couldn’t breathe-_

 

How much time has passed? Five’s eyes flew open in a panic, frantically searching the room for any indication of time passing, his heart rating starting to slow back down.

 

It had only been a few minutes, right? Time hasn’t passed, he was fine, he’d figure this out, he was a goddamn genius, everyone said so-

 

The door handle clicked and started to turn, and Five’s breath caught in his throat.

 

No. No. Nononononononono-

 

“I see you are still here Number Five.” Reginald said without emotion, walking over to the switch by the door.

 

“I can’t, I need to move, I’m sorry, I can’t-“ Five gasped out, trying to curl in on himself but held upright by the ropes around him, and Reginald’s hand curled around the switch.

 

“No, _please_ -“ Five begged, but his father just stared at him with dead eyes.

 

“Just a minor dose of electricity, certainly not severe enough to cause death, but potent enough that it should simulate your abilities and allow you to jump.” He said coldly, glancing at his pocket watch, and Five could only watch in horror as he flipped the switch. 

 

He might have screamed, he didn’t know, couldn’t hear anything over the roaring in his ears. He faintly smelled something burning, and he was going to die, and then-

 

It stopped. Five’s eyes flew open (When had he closed them?), and he stared at his father, panting.

 

“You’re a _monster_.” He whispered, unable to be any louder.

 

“If you don’t like it, you have the means to leave.” His father responded, tone level like he was just discussing the fucking _weather_ , not fucking torturing his son.

 

“I can’t. I physically can’t. What part of that do you not understand?” Five rasped, but tried nonetheless.

 

Nothing. Big surprise. He needed to _move_.

 

“Well then.” His father said imperiously, and Five’s eyes flew to the switch, watched it move downwards-

 

The pain was back.

 

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t think he needed to escape he needed to _move_ -

 

Something snapped. Five felt coolness on his skin, felt something rip through him, strings were dragging across his face-

 

Then his insides felt like they were being compressed and stretched out and burnt and frozen all at the same time and there was nothing but _pain-_

 

And then he was falling.

 

Five’s eyes flew open just in time to see the ground rush towards him as he slammed onto a rough surface, gravel flying.

 

Five wasn’t sure how long he laid there, facedown on the rough surface. He felt gravel digging into his cheek, and his entire body was throbbing, making him unable to move a muscle.

 

Eventually he found the strength to blink his eyes open, noting the darkness. Hadn’t it just been morning? His father always did individual training at eight o’clock sharp, it has been light out when they walked downstairs.

 

He groaned, and pushed himself up onto his elbows, shaking his head to dislodge the ringing in his ears. Gravel flew out of his hair and scattered around him as his wrists screamed in pain, but he avoided looking at them and pushed down the pain as he tried to survey his surroundings.

 

He was lying in a parking lot. There lot was illuminated by a glowing Burger King sign, aided by the full moon up above. Burger King? The closest one was nearly three miles from the academy, he’d only ever been able to jump a few blocks at the furthest before.

 

He groaned again. His father was just going to use this as proof that he was right, that his methods worked, oh this was fan-fucking-tastic.

 

Out of the small room and under the stars, Five was embarrassed of how he begged like a child, like he was _weak_. He should have been able to jump before things got bad. He’d just have to train harder on his own, and never give his father a reason to do that to him again.

 

He’d be better.

 

Five suppressed a groan as he hauled himself to his feet, every muscle in his body screaming in protest. He looked down, checking for injury. Blood was dripping from his wrists, the welts caused by rope burn giving way to deep furrows in his skin, muscle shining red in the moonlight.

 

Damn. Ow. That would leave wicked scars.

 

Other than his wrists it looked like he escaped relatively unscathed, and as he staggered towards the doors of the Burger King he tugged his sleeves down to hopefully avoid scaring the poor Burger King on shift.

 

Right before he reached out to grab the door handle, Five paused. He didn’t have to call a cab to go home. He didn’t even have to call a cab. He could rest up in this parking lot, then jump away.

 

He didn’t have to go home.

 

His father would have no idea where he went. For all he knew, Five was in fucking Australia.

 

Five could fuck off to Australia. Now there’s a thought.

 

But as he turned away from the door, fully intending to jump, he paused again.

 

He couldn’t leave Six and Seven.

 

Their father still had too much power over them. And he had promised Seven that if he ever ran he would take her with him. He didn’t know if he could jump with other people yet, he has to train for that too.

 

So Five grasped the handle of the Burger King and pushed the door open, half baked plans racing through his mind and blue tendrils tugging on his skin.

 

That was new, but not important right now. What was important was getting back to Six and Seven, and figuring out exactly what the fuck had happened this morning.

 

He had lost at least fourteen hours. Was he really passed out in the parking lot for that long? Unlikely. Someone would have seen him, or he would have been run over by a truck, or _something_. So that possibility eliminated, the only likely possibility left was that he time traveled. Which wasn’t so unbelievable, time and space were intrinsically intertwined. Also, how had he managed to jump? He didn’t remember anything except blinding pain and the overwhelming desire to be somewhere else. He hadn’t jumped using his usual methods, this jump was more painful that usual anyway, so something must have changed. Once he got back to the mansion he’d have to try jumping again in a controlled environment.

 

And you know what? The tendrils weren’t leaving now. That was significant. Usually he had to focus, but now the strands were floating through the air everywhere he looked, fading in and out of view. If he focused he could see them all like usual, creating a grid-like pattern across his field of vision, draping themselves like a [mesh-plot](https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiFk--vrdPhAhWhiOAKHf9HDRMQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shutterstock.com%2Fimage-vector%2Fblue-abstract-vector-wireframe-landscape-background-1129665782&psig=AOvVaw2MpakfwbmDQPwbhA3B17SC&ust=1555460854920920) over every visible surface. He glanced down at his wrists and Five raised his eyebrows when he saw strands wrapped tightly around his forearms, creating a sort of sleeve. As he watched, the gashes on his wrist faded away, his skin regenerating until it was smooth again, no sign that the injury ever occurred.

 

But it didn’t stop. As Five watched, he saw his skin lighten, losing some of the tan he acquired over the summer until it finally stopped on the pale white that was his typical skin tone during the winter.

 

Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

 

The tendrils faded away, sliding from his arms and fading into nothingness. Where there had been deep gashes and rope burn was now smooth, pale skin. He could see where the burns used to be from the bands of skin that were now paler than the rest of his arm.

 

So essentially- the space-time tendrils- how many months- they-

 

Five could literally feel his brain short-circuiting as he tried to process the overload of information. So many ideas and theories were racing through his head, he couldn’t physically sort through them all and form a cohesive train of thought, his mind was going to _explode-_

 

“Kid? You alright?” A voice penetrated his thoughts, and Five snapped back to reality, staring at the Burger King clerk that was staring at him unimpressed, snapping her gum.

 

“Fine. I’ll need to use your phone.” Five said, approaching the counter, his mind finally settling.

 

He would figure all that out later, without the help of his father. Hell knows what would happen if Reginald found out about this development. No, this had to be kept in absolute secrecy.

 

As the cashier handed him their landline Five grinned as he dialed the Academy’s private number.

 

An infinite amount of possibilities had just opened up to him, and he would be _damned_ if he didn’t explore them all.

**Author's Note:**

> And there's the end of part one.
> 
> If you couldn't tell, I'm a huge science nerd and when I watched The Umbrella Academy I was fascinated by Five's abilities and his character in general, and thus this fic was born. I also loved Five as a character, watching him interact with others was amazing, and later on I am most definitely going to enjoy writing that. 
> 
> If you find any typos or the like yeet them in my direction and I'll fix them, I wrote this in an afternoon and posted without a beta because I'm not a coward.
> 
> Let me know what you think! I'll be back with more whether you bastards like it or not.


End file.
